Recently, the discovery of pine wilt disease near Sobaeksan's Samga Reservoir has raised alarms for the protection of cultural heritage trees, including the renowned Jeongipumsong.
On October 16, officials from Boeun County announced that a single pine tree infected with the disease was found near the reservoir.
According to Yonhap News, the infected tree is located approximately 3 kilometers from Jeongipumsong, a natural monument, and about 2.5 kilometers from the nearby So-won-ri pine tree, also designated as a natural monument.
The tree's caretakers at Hyundai Tree Hospital in Cheongju plan to administer a preventive vaccine against the disease and apply additional treatment around the roots as a precautionary measure.
They will also conduct pesticide operations to prevent the approach of the pine wood nematode, which is known to carry the disease. The average infection rate of the nematode is about 70%, with approximately 15,000 nematodes reported to parasitize each pine wood nematode.
On October 15, relevant authorities, including Chungbuk Province, Boeun County, the National Institute of Forest Science, the National Forest Management Office, and the Korea National Park Service, gathered near Samga Reservoir to discuss control measures. They agreed to promptly cut down the infected tree and 65 surrounding pines, as well as to vaccinate all pines within a 1.3-hectare area.
Pine wilt disease is also linked to wildfire damage. While it is not a direct cause, trees that die from the disease can serve as kindling for wildfires, and the increased density of pest populations in wildfire-affected areas can exacerbate the spread of the disease.
Meanwhile, Jeongipumsong is estimated to be around 600 years old. It survived a near-fatal infection from the pine needle gall midge in the 1980s, but its condition has deteriorated significantly since then, suffering further damage from typhoons and heavy snowfall.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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